Date   : Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:00:34 +1030
From   : station240@... (paul aslin)
Subject: eBay... sigh

> Date: Mon, 29 Aug 2011 11:20:37 -0500
> From: jules.richardson99@...
> To: bbc-micro@...
> Subject: Re: [BBC-Micro] eBay... sigh
>
> Rick Murray wrote:
> > On 29/08/2011 14:34, Mark McDougall wrote:
> >
> >> Some genius selling a BBC plugged it in, and when it went 'pop' after 30s
> >> and black smoke came out, decided to cut the power cord off!!!
> >
> > Maybe it is a liability thing? If there's no power cord, and you fit one
> > and the machine blows up in your face, your fault...
>
> I'm sure that it is. OTOH, if you plug the machine in and flip the power
> switch and it blows up in your face, it should still be your fault :-)
>
> So on the one hand, the world has gone bonkers. On the other though, it
> *is* just a power cord, so it's not like it's a great loss and easy to
> rectify[1] (unless the buyer's so fanatical about originality that the loss
> of a period mains plug is some kind of major problem :-)

For the typical UK power plug I agree with you. But for the plugs originally
fitted to BBC hardware sold in Australia there is a problem.

See aside from the monitors and anything with an IEC cord, just about everything 
had a piggyback plug (right angle cord entry with plug with a socket mounted
on the front. This means a micro with second processor and monitor only took
up one wall plug instead of two. Saves a fortune on double powerpoints in
a school enviroment.

Problem is someone got himself a Darwin Award by putting a plug on one end 
and a piggyback on the other, creating a lethal extension cord. So the HPM 
plugs are discontinued, and the later Clipsal ones are special order, bag 
of 100 only, assemble from loose parts, need a note from your mum. So if 
some floppy shoe wearing entertainer tosses the plug, you have to buy an
extension cord with one of these plugs moulded in, a round file, larger cord
grommet, and insulated spade connectors.

As with scart plugs, the strain relief on modern mains plugs doesn't fit
the smaller cable.